The sum of the ages of three siblings is 42. If the eldest is twice as old as the youngest and the middle sibling is three years older than the youngest, what is the age of the eldest sibling?

Mon, 04 May 2026 08:16:27 +0000

**Why the age puzzle about three siblings has been trending online**
Curious minds are increasingly drawn to elegant logic puzzles and age-related riddles—especially those grounded in relatable family scenarios. The question surging across social feeds and search queries—“The sum of the ages of three siblings is 42. If the eldest is twice as old as the youngest and the middle sibling is three years older than the youngest, what is the age of the eldest sibling?”—reflects this trend. What began as a light mental challenge has become a shared conversation point, amplified by mobile users seeking quick, satisfying brain teaser content. This puzzle isn’t just a brain teaser—it’s a whisper into common patterns of generational data, family dynamics, and mathematical intuition. As demographic shifts highlight changing household structures and rising awareness around family wealth distribution, interesting puzzles like this gain traction in mobile search and Discover cycles. They blend curiosity with a subtle lesson in logic and proportional thinking—values increasingly shared across US online communities. **How the riddle truly works—breaking it down simply**
Let’s number the siblings to clarify: let Y be the youngest’s age. Then the middle child is Y + 3, and the eldest is 2Y (twice the youngest). Together:
Y + (Y + 3) + 2Y = 42
Combining terms:
4Y + 3 = 42
4Y = 39
Y = 9.75? Wait—no. That math is off. Let’s recheck. Wait—4Y + 3 = 42 → 4Y = 39 → Y = 9.75? That contradicts the headline’s implied integer ages.